Catch and release: Escaped ‘kidnapper’ still on the lam

Six cops booked for negligence.


Our Correspondent July 15, 2014

ISLAMABAD:


An under-trial prisoner accused of kidnapping people for ransom escaped from the district courts on Wednesday and has still not been found.


At the same time, a case has been filed against six policemen — Sub Inspector Naveed, Assistant Sub Inspector Javed, Constable Maskeen, Constable Sarmad, Constable Saleem and Constable Ghazanfar — for negligence leading to the escape.

Shahjehan of Malakand Agency escaped from F8 Kacheri, where he has to face charges along with nine co-accused persons. The group of 10 included two women, Saeeda Gull and her daughter Laila Gull.

The women would stand beside roads asking for a lift. If someone picked them up, the remaining team members followed them in another car. Later, they would stop the victim’s car by force and the kidnapers would shift the victim to a safe house.

The group usually held hostages in a rented house in Badia Mehra, Ittefaq Town. That house was being rented by Saeeda’s husband Parvez Khan and three armed men were always present to supervise the hostage. The group used the hostage’s phone to make ransom demands, with the calls originating from the Khyber Agency area. The minimum demand of the kidnapers was Rs50 million.

Margalla Police Station Investigation Officer Ishtiaq Shah told The Express Tribune that the police had formed three teams to arrest Shahjehan and had approached their counterparts in Swabi, Charsadda and Bajaur, but hthere had been no success thus far.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.

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